


You're Mine

by DocMcRegals



Category: Nashville (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 06:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15679935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocMcRegals/pseuds/DocMcRegals
Summary: AU 5x11 Cannon Divergent; A year after Rayna's death, everyone's trying to move on; but what happens when they're asked to pay tribute to her at the Grammy's?





	You're Mine

No one had been expecting it.

Deacon is having breakfast with the girls when Bucky calls to tell him that the album, _Rayna’s final album_ , has been nominated for a whopping _five_ Grammy’s. The nominations are the talk of Nashville and the music industry. The album was already projected to go at least double platinum before Rayna’s death but her death caused it to sell even more. It stayed at the top of the charts for nearly 12 weeks; it’s still in the top ten on iTunes. The album is nominated for Best Country Album, Album of the Year; Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year for “You’re mine”. On top of Rayna’s nominations, Maddie was nominated for Best New Artist, and she had yet to release her album.

He should be happy about this but…it only cements into his heart that Rayna’s gone. The past year has been rough on them; from Deacon’s nasty custody battle with Teddy to Tandy trying to take Highway 65 from him to being a widow and a single dad to two teenage girls. Maddie and Daphne are of course excited but Deacon is…melancholy. He’s been pretty quiet about Rayna; he barely made it to the tribute the Opry held for her last week. He’s ‘holding it in the road’ as he likes to put it. Many people (Teddy, Tandy) thought that he’d go back to drinking. No, he couldn’t do that; he had too much to lose and he’d _never_ desecrate Rayna’s memory like that.

She’d want him to move forward, so that’s what he’s doing.

“Five posthumous nominations,” Deacon looks up at the sound of Zach’s voice.

“Yeah; Rayna would be so excited. I think she’d be more proud of Maddie though,” Deacon gazes over at the larger than life photo of Rayna hanging on the wall in his office (Rayna’s former office) at Highway 65. Zach may no longer be running Highway 65, but he’s still part of the team. It wasn’t surprising that he’d flown down to Nashville when the nominations had been announced.

“So um, Bucky called me…he said that the Academy wants Maddie to perform,”

“That’s great! Maddie’s gon be so excited,” Deacon’s eyes light up but he pauses at the expression on Zach’s face.

“Zach, what’s wrong?”

“They uh, they want you all to sing ‘You’re Mine’ as part of the Grammy’s tribute to Rayna,”

“ _Oh_ , well, that’s um…”

“Look, Deacon, I know it’s a lot to ask but, just think about it, okay?” Zac says nothing else and leaves Deacon alone with his thoughts.

“What do you think Ray?” Deacon looks over at the picture of Rayna on the wall; she’s smiling back as she normally would, but he wishes he could hear her voice.

oOoOo

The drive to Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens is a solemn one for Maddie and Daphne Conrad, but it’s one they’ve made diligently for the past year.

“Mom would be proud of you Maddie,” Daphne, now 14, gives her sister’s hand a tight squeeze.

“I wish she could be here to see it, to see how many Grammy’s her album got nominated for,” Maddie is quiet during the drive; for her, it’s still hard to believe that she has to make the 45-minute drive just to see her mother.

“Do you think she’ll actually win any Grammy’s? Kids at school said-“

“It doesn’t matter what those kids say Daph, mom’s album is _amazing_ and she _deserves_ to win,” Maddie’s voice is solid, resolute when she speaks.

Of course, she knows what those idiot airheaded kids at Daphne’s school and people on the internet are saying; that Rayna doesn’t deserve to be nominated, that she beat out artists who were more qualified, that nobody knows who she is besides people who love Country music. She also knows what they’re saying about her as well; that she’s a Taylor Swift-Juliette Barnes wannabe who cried on national TV when her mom died, that her music is vapid, shallow, and stupid, that neither she nor her mother are deserving of being nominated for a Grammy.

Oh yeah, she’s been on social media, and the reception to both she and her mom being nominated for Grammy’s is _not_ pretty.

Bo, Juliette’s bodyguard, lets them know that they’ve arrived and as usual, tells them that he’ll be waiting under the pavilion when they’re ready to leave. Holding hands, the two sisters quietly make their way to their mother’s grave. Deacon had picked the headstone; a large marble slab with a beautiful picture of Raina. Of course, it’s donned with flowers, cards, and teddy bears from fans. Initially, there was talk of a private burial but, Rayna loved her fans too much to be far from them, even in death. Despite the numerous cards, flowers, letters and teddy bears, Maddie and Daphne carefully place the bouquet of red roses in front of the slab before taking a seat next to it, gently reaching out to trace the inscription,

_Rayna Alisia Jaymes_

_1970-2017_

_Beloved Wife and Mother_

_The Queen of Country Music_

Maddie breaks the silence first; Daphne is still busy tracing her mother’s image.

“We miss you mom; your album got nominated for five Grammy’s,” Even though it’s been a year, both girls still get choked up when coming to see their mother.

“Maddie got nominated for Best New Artist,” Daphne’s voice is heavy with emotion as she speaks.

“Daph’s got a boyfriend,” Maddie tries lightening up the mood with this news as Daphne gives her a shove; at least now she’s smiling.

“I wish you were here to talk me through it mom, dating is _sooo_ stressful,” Maddie wraps an arm around her sister and gives her a squeeze.

“Don’t worry mom, I’m talking her through it; you may not have thought I was listening to you but, Daphne’s gonna be fine. We’re both gonna be just fine; dad misses you. Don’t worry; he’s not running your label into the ground…Zach’s making sure of that. In fact, Highway 65 signed five new artists in four months. Scarlett had the baby a couple of months ago; they named her Robyn Jaymes,”

“She looks just like Scarlett, but she’s got Gunner’s hair. Will and Zach are getting married,” Daphne wipes away her tears just as Maddie’s cell phone rings.

“Hello? Oh, hey Glenn; I’m good; Daph and I are just visiting mom’s grave… _what_? **What**!? Oh my God that’s _amazing_! _Of_ **course** _, I wanna do it_! Yes, absolutely! Wait, they want us to perform ‘You’re Mine’? Oh, um, have they talked to my dad about it?  Well, I can talk to him about it when I get home. Okay Glenn, thanks for calling, bye.” Maddie is hesitant to tell Daphne her good news, but it seems as though she’s already heard some of it.

“Who wants us to perform ‘You’re Mine’?”

“The Grammy’s; they want me to perform my song and they want all of us-you, me, dad, Juliette, Avery, Scarlett, and Gunner to perform ‘You’re Mine’ as part of the tribute to mom,” Daphne is quiet for a few minutes, staring back at her mother’s grave before responding.

“What does Dad think?”

“Glenn said Bucky and Zach talked to him,” Maddie joins her sister in front of their mother’s headstone, their hands joined together.

“What do you think she’d say?”

“I think mom would be thrilled, plus, I think Zach knows people at the Grammy’s, so maybe we could be part of setting up the tribute. It’ll give people a chance to know who mom was,” Daphne bites her lip.

“What if I don’t wanna do it?” Maddie turns to look at her younger sister.

“ _What_?”

“I don’t know Maddie; the last time I sang on stage was…”

“At the CMA’s last year,” Maddie sighs; the CMA performance is probably her _least favorite_ performance she’s done despite how much media attention she got from it.

“Yeah, I know,” Daphne squeezes her sister’s hand; the idea of singing still makes Daphne anxious. She hasn’t sung much since the CMA’s; she hasn’t felt much like singing since she sung for her mother at the hospital before she died.

“I think we should do it, the song I mean; it felt good, y’know, recording it with everyone. It was good to hear mom’s voice again. C’mon, we should get back, it’s getting late,” Daphne spares her mother’s grave one last glance before they leave.

oOo

Hours after they’ve returned from the cemetery, Daphne can still hear her mom’s words floating through her head.

_You have a gift._

After dinner and homework, she finds herself singing the words to her mother’s song,

_When the years have passed_

_And we’re old and gray_

_I’ll be standing here where I am today_

_Through the good times and the bad times_

_Good times and the bad times…you’re mine_

She looks up at the sound of applause and smiles at Deacon through the reflection of the mirror in her room.

“Sounds good,” Deacon is leaning against the doorframe; his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

“Dad?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Maddie said that Bucky and Zac talked to you, about us singing mom’s song at the Grammy’s?”

“They did,” Deacon nods slowly; he’s got a pretty good idea of where this is going.

“Daphne, you don’t have to-“

“No, I think, I think I want to; mom would want me to keep singing,” Deacon is in Daphne’s room now and he’s wrapping his arms around her, pressing a kiss into her hair as they both smile at their reflections in the mirror.

“Yeah, I think she’d want you to keep singing too,”

oOoOo

“I am so proud of Maddie, a Grammy nod for Best New Artist and her album hasn’t even come out yet!” Juliette can’t stop grinning as she scrolls through the Grammy nominations list.

“I know; Rayna’d be so proud,” Avery is in the kitchen helping Cadence feed herself dinner; the three-year-old has become very independent lately.

“Yeah; I think she’d be even more surprised that _her_ album was nominated for five Grammy awards,” Avery hums in agreement.

“Glenn said that the Academy wants all of us to perform the song,” Avery turns his head in Juliette’s direction.

“ _All of us_?”

“Mmhm,”

“You think Deacon’ll do it?”

“Glenn said that Bucky and Zac talked to him,” She hasn’t seen much of him, aside from things related to Maddie’s career; he’s been pretty holed off, taking care of Daphne and running the label.

It’s kept him busy, which is good; but she’d also love to see him get out there and live life. Not that he should go and find someone to replace Rayna but, at least get in the studio and record something, or at least write a song with her. She’s itching to write again, has a few melodies stuck in her head.

“How would you feel if we all performed the song?” Juliette turns her attention away from her phone and stares at Avery; she knows what he’s getting at.

“You’re asking me if I think I’m ready to announce to the world that I’m pregnant again?” Juliette glances down at the small swell of her belly, early signs of pregnancy showing.

“You’re almost four months Juliette; people are gonna find out sooner or later,”

“I don’t know if the Grammy’s would be a good time to announce it; I want something sweet and intimate,” Avery can’t exactly argue with that.

“I think performing would be good for Deacon, and Daphne too; she hasn’t sung much since the CMA’s,”

“I know, Maddie said she’s scared to sing, keeps thinking about the last time she sang to Rayna before she died…poor thing,” Avery sighs heavily and shakes his head.

“It’s never gonna get easier to say that Rayna’s dead,”

“I know; y’know, the last thing I told her was that I wanted her to be proud of me,”

“You survived the plane crash, you and I are back together, you’re looking after Maddie; your career is better than it’s ever been. I’d say Rayna’s damn proud, wherever she is,” Avery wraps his arms around Juliette and smiles.

“Yeah, I like to think so too,”

oOoOo

Robyn has colic, which has made Scarlett’s life miserable. She’s nearly six months old and has yet to sleep through the night fully. Deacon swears that she was the same way when she was a baby. If that’s true then God bless her mother for being able to put up with her. Having Robyn has made touring and recording quite the challenge, that and helping Deacon out with the girls. She and Gunner are…still not together; they have a baby together and they’re still a group but, their personal relationship is complicated. He’s an incredible father to their daughter but they’ve got too much baggage between the two of them for things to ever truly work out.

“I know you’re tired sweetheart, so am I; let’s see if we can’t find something to help you sleep, huh?” Scarlett is trying to shush the baby, who is crying because she’s cranky because she’s sleepy but can’t go to sleep because of her colic.

She’s doing that stupid bouncy walk that Deacon and Gunner use on her but it’s not working. She’s tempted to call Gunner and ask him to come over and…great, just what she needs, someone’s at the door, just when Robyn got quiet.

“Who in the world…oh, Gunner, it’s you,” Gunner is standing on the other side of the door wearing that goofy smile.

“Hey…everything okay?” God, she could just smack the hell out of him; does it _look_ like everything’s okay?

“No, can you…take her; I tried that stupid bouncy thing you and Deacon do and-“

“Give her to me,” Gunner takes Robyn with easy and almost instantly she’s calm.

“She hates me; I’m convinced my daughter hates me!” Gunner simply chuckles as he gets the baby settled.

“So…Deacon called; said Maddie was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy’s,” Scarlett’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Wait, Maddie’s nominated for a Grammy?!” Gunner chuckles at Scarlett’s excitement.

“Yeah,”

“That’s so great! I’m so proud of her, Rayna would be too,”

“Yeah, she would; _speaking of Rayna_ , Deacon said her album was nominated for _five_ Grammy’s,”

“Wow, that’s…I knew people would love it,” Charlotte loved Rayna, more than just as her Aunt, but as a mentor, as an artist, as a friend.

“There’s more,” Gunner cringes; he’s not sure how Charlotte will respond.

“ _Oh_?”

“Yeah, the uh, they want us-you, me, Juliette, Avery, Deacon, and the girls to perform ‘You’re Mine’ as part of a tribute to Rayna,” And of course, Scarlett reacts just how he expected her to.

“Deacon hasn’t decided anything yet but, I think-“

“I, I don’t know if I can get out there I mean, the baby…”

“Scarlett…”

“No, Gunner; you may be more career focused but-“

“ _Really Scarlett_? I’m more career focused?” She knows it’s wrong but if he would just, listen to her for one second.

“You know that’s not how I meant it, Gunner,” Scarlett looks down at the floor in shame.

“Deacon hasn’t made a decision yet but, I think it’d be good, for all of us. That song is the last time we all sung together. Besides, I think we should do it, for Rayna,” Gunner never stays more than a few minutes before he makes up some excuse to leave. Scarlett is at least appreciative that he’s always able to get the baby calm enough for her to get a few hours of sleep.

Maybe if she were able to sleep she could give him an answer as to where they stand.

oOoOo

It’s rare that Deacon makes the trip out to see Rayna, but today, he feels like he needs to. He doesn’t go to the cemetery; he hasn’t been back there since he had to put her in the ground. Instead, he goes out to his cabin; he feels closer to her there. He can still vividly remember the last time they were at his cabin together. Later that evening, he finds himself sitting out on the porch watching the sunset; he likes to think that Rayna is sitting next to him.

“I miss ya darling; this last year has been…whew, it’s been anything _but_ easy. The label is…it’s doing damn great. Your album went six times platinum, stayed number one for 12 weeks before dropping down into the top five; it’s still in the top ten of iTunes. Maddie’s doing good; she and Clay are still together. I think Daphne’s having a harder time of it than any of us. She went AWOL for a little bit but, she’s coming back to us, slowly but surely…still can’t believe she’s dating,” Deacon shakes his head with a smile. He closes his eyes for just a moment and faintly, just faintly he can feel Rayna sitting next to him.

“Anywho, Juliette and Avery are fine, having another baby, but doing fine. Scarlett and Gunner are…Scarlett and Gunner. Will and Zach are finally tying the knot. Everyone’s fine, we miss ya is all. Ray, the problem is that your album, it got nominated for five Grammy’s; I haven’t thought about the CMA’s or the AMA’s; I know you’ll kill it there too. But I know how big of a deal the Grammy’s are for ya. Five Grammy’s…woo, that’s a lot. Zach’s tryna convince me to perform your song, our song, at the Grammy’s. You know how hard it was for me to even get in the studio and record that thing; I just don’t know if I’m ready to get on stage and sing it to the whole world yet. The girls think it’s a good idea, so do Zach, Bucky, and Glenn. I don’t know Ray; I miss you, I miss the hell outta ya,” Deacon takes a second to swipe at a fear tears; he never can have these talks with her without crying.

“I know you’re gone Ray but, I just wish you’d give me a sign, let me know that it’s alright, that I can move on with my life. Not that I’ll forget you or anything but…some days, I don’t know how I’m breathin without ya. I know you’d want me to keep going for the girls but, sometimes I feel like that’s the only reason I’m still here. When you left me, I think, I think you took a part of my soul with ya and, I need that back, Ray. If I’m gonna be any good to Maddie and to Daphne I need to know that I can go on with my life,”

“There’s, there’s something else I need to tell ya, Ray. I’m, I’m sorta seeing someone. Her name’s Jesse Cain and, she’s kind of wonderful. I’ve only been out with her twice, for coffee but…I feel alive when I talk to her. I haven’t told the girls or anyone because I didn’t want them to think that I was giving up on you. I will never give up on you Rayna; you were, are, the love of my life. I like her, I really like her; she reminds me so much of you…” Deacon lets out a deep breath, looking up at the sky. The sun has gone down but he seems to feel the sun’s rays on his face. There’s a gentle breeze in the air, enough to make the leaves on the trees blow softly. Deacon allows himself to be in the moment, that is, until he hears an all too familiar voice calling out to him.

_Deacon_

_Deacon_

The sound is faint, but it causes him to look around and there she is, Rayna.

“Is this real?” The vision of Rayna smiles at him and moves to sit next to him.

“ _No_ , _I’m gone Deac; but I’m always with you,_ **right here** ,” When she moves to point to his chest, he can feel it.

“I miss you, sweetheart, I miss ya so much,” Vision Rayna takes his hand and squeezes it.

“ _I miss you too; I miss you and the girls_ **so much** _, babe_ ,”

“What am I supposed to do Ray?”

“ _You live Deacon; you live for our girls and for yourself. The world needs to hear my voice, but they need to hear yours as well._ **You can’t hide behind that guitar forever babe** _. You’re just as talented as I was, it’s time for you to shine_ ,”

“And Jesse?”

“ _Deacon, what I want is for you to be happy; don’t mourn me forever, that’s a long time to go without loving someone_ ,”

“I can’t-“

“ _Yes you can; what we had was special, and_ **no one** _can ever take that away from us…but you can have something special with someone else_ ,” Rayna looks over to her left and smiles sadly.

“ _Deacon, I’ve gotta go_ ,” Deacon clings to Rayna’s hand.

“Don’t leave me,” She smiles and shakes her head, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“ _I told you, I’m never far away; I’m right here in your heart_ ,” There are tears in his eyes when she stands and begins to walk away.

“I love you, Ray,” She smiles at him one last time before walking into what appears to be a beautifully blinding sunset.

“ _And hey…go sing our song at the Grammy’s_ ,” Deacon chuckles; he sits there watching her walk away until her image begins to fade.

He knows what he has to do.

“Zach, it’s me; we’re doing the Grammy performance,”

A Few Weeks Later…

There’s a nervous feeling in the atmosphere as people scurry down the hallways of the Staples Center. Tonight is the Grammy’s; there are lights everywhere, reporters everywhere and a sea of performers moving nonstop. However, in a greenroom on the far end of the building, the artists of Highway 65 are preparing to sing together in a tribute to Rayna.

“Alright everybody, listen up; I know this is, this is a big moment but, this is what Rayna would’ve wanted,” Deacon takes a moment to look at everyone in the room-Gunner, Scarlett, Will, Avery, Juliette, Maddie, Daphne, Bucky, Zach, Glenn, and Jesse. These people have become his family, no, they are his family. It’s not a family he would’ve picked for himself but, this is the family that chose him. There’s a pang of guilt in his heart when it hits him that the most important person, the one who brought them all together wasn’t here. But he thinks of how she’d come to him, given him words of wisdom he didn’t know he needed. He smiles at everyone in the room, proud of the growth they’ve made since he’s known them. He feels thankful for each moment spent with them.

For the first time in over a year, Deacon feels like he can breathe.

“Guys, we’re almost ready for you,” A production assistant sticks her head into the room and everyone scurries to get into place.

Maddie and Daphne are walking with Deacon down the long corridor; he gives his girls a smile.

“You guys ready?” Daphne and Maddie each give him a grin.

“It’s like you said; mom would want us to do this,” Maddie has grown so much since Deacon found out she was his biological daughter. She’s now a grown woman, preparing to release her own solo album.

“She’s with us y’know,” Daphne has been quiet most of the night, most likely trying to prepare herself to sing on stage again. She’s slowly blossoming into her own person, finding her way.

“Your mom is definitely with us,” Deacon looks over at Jesse, who’s been nothing but kind and understanding throughout all of this. She’s holding his hand as he walks with his girls to the stage.

“Y’all ready to do this?”

oOoOo

_Ladies and gentlemen, in a special tribute performance, please welcome to the stage, Deacon Claiborne, Maddie Jaymes, Daphne Conrad, Juliette Barnes, Avery Barkley, Gunner Scott, Scarlett O’Connor, and Will Lexington._

The Grammy announcer’s voice seems to boom over the loudspeaker as the crowd applauds. There’s a brief silence before the band starts to play and Rayna’s voice, along with a beautiful montage of photos of her career appears on the jumbotron.

_I know the rain may fall_

_And the clouds roll in_

_Until we think we won’t see the sky again_

Gunner, Scarlett, and Will carefully make their way onto the stage, singing their part

_With you right here,_

_Your hand in mine_

_I know these storms will pass and the sun will shine_

_And through the good times and the bad times, you’re mine_

Next, Avery and Juliette, who is proudly sporting a very round baby bump, come on stage; the crowd goes wild at the surprise.

_I promise you_

_Right here right now_

_Won’t ever let you go this I vow_

_And through the good times and the bad times, you’re mine_

_Yeah, the good times and the bad times you’re mine_

_You’re mine_

_You’re mine_

_You’re mine_

_You’re mine_

Everyone stands on stage, singing their hearts out, glancing up at the jumbotron of exclusive behind the scenes photos of when they’d recorded the song flash across the screen as the band plays. For a moment, the lights are dimmed before a lone microphone appears with Daphne standing in front of it, ready to sing her part

_When the years have passed_

_And we’re old and gray_

_I’ll be standing here where I am today_

Maddie and Deacon each walk up to stand beside her as they all sing along with the beautiful image of Rayna.

_Through the good times and the bad times_

_Good times and the bad times…_

_You’re mine_


End file.
